Table I.
Screening techniques comparison.
| Variable | DXA | HRpQCT | REMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiation dose, mSv | ~0.0015,18,19 | ~3 to 55,18,19 | None5,8,11 |
| Examination time, mins | 15 to 2021 | 3 to 518,19 | 10 to 1521,22 |
| Technology dependent | Yes5,11,14 | No5,17,18 | No8,11 |
| Ease of positioning | No*8,11 | Yes19 | Yes5-9,11 |
| Availability | Yes5 | Limited5,18 | Yes11 |
| Low cost | Yes21 | No18 | Yes21,23 |
| Dependence on bone size | Yes18 | No17,19 | No5,8 |
| Separates measurement between cortical and trabecular bone | No5 | Yes5,17 | Yes5 |
| Microarchitecture assessment | Spine: only if Trabecular Bone Score module fitted5,11,24 | Yes5,18,19 | Yes5,24 |
| Sampling errors | Yes5,8,13 | No5,19 | No5,8 |
*
In cases of bone deformities, immobilization/bedridden, paraparesis/paralysis (e.g. stroke or spinal cord injury).
DXA, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; HR-qCT, high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT; REMS, radiofrequency echographic multispectrometry.